Scientists from King’s College London (KCL) found that 25% of people offset the benefits of a healthy diet with unhealthy snacks, increasing the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. The study was published on: European Journal of Nutrition.
Scientists examined the eating habits of 854 people participating in the ZOE PREDICT study. A quarter (26%) said they eat healthily but still get 25% of their daily calories from unhealthy snacks. These include highly processed and sweet foods (cakes, pies, cereals, cookies, ice cream). These people had an increased risk of obesity, high cholesterol, stroke and heart disease.
People who frequently ate quality snacks, such as nuts and fresh fruit, were more likely to be at a healthy weight than those who never snacked or ate unhealthy foods. They also generally had good metabolic health with lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
The analysis also showed that snacking after 9pm was associated with worse blood counts. This may be because participants were more likely to consume high-calorie, fat- and sugar-rich foods during this time.
Dr. King’s College concluded: “Given that 95% of us snack and almost a quarter of our calories come from snacks, replacing unhealthy foods such as cookies, chips and cakes with healthy fruit and nuts is a really simple way to improve your health.” London and ZOE Principal Investigator Sarah Berry.
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